


Tearful Children

by candycanelila



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Humor, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-18 02:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3552212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candycanelila/pseuds/candycanelila
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy. Incomplete, but I can't figure out how to make it say that it's incomplete...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Broken Rule

Tears rolled down Jack's cheeks as he whimpered and trembled. He hugged his knees to his chest, his bangs sticking to his tear streaked face. His staff lay a few feet away, abandoned by the sobbing winter sprite.

The guardians would never forgive him now. He couldn't be pardoned for what had just happened. He could imagine it now. Bunny yelling, screaming, possibly even hurting him. North not even being able to look at him. Tooth so disappointed, she wouldn't even acknowledge the friendship they once had. Baby Tooth screaming in her chirp language. And the worst, Sandy giving him a look of disappointment that he couldn't stand it.

Jack had a tantrum before his sobbing. He screamed, freezing everything in sight and making the temperature so cold every living thing had to leave. He froze the trees and broke the frozen branches. The crushed frozen bushed and dying flowers. Then he had stopped and looked at his mess. Then he saw what he had caused and broke down.

What would cause Jack Frost to get like this?

* * *

He was visiting Brooklyn, bringing snow days as usual. He had stopped in the forest to make it snow on some kid who were playing. They started a snowball fight, Jack secretly joining in. but as they played, the ground became slippery as Jack wasn't paying attention. Suddenly, one of the girls slipped and fell into a ditch.

Jack would never be able to remove that scream from his mind.

The other children screamed her name and ran to get help, but Jack knew they wouldn't make it in time. He stumbled down, gaining a few scratches and one stick jabbed into his arm. He tried to pick the bleeding, freezing girl up, but his hands went through her. He gasped as a feeling of dread filled his stomach.

_I… I can't help her…_

**_You have to, Jack!_ **

_But I can't!_

**_Then how come you could save your sister!?_ **

He screamed in agony and began his tantrum.

_Why can't I save her!?_

_I'm so_ _**USLESS!** _

_I can't do anything right!_

* * *

 

And here he was, sobbing in a ditch.

Adults ran over and looked in, seeing the lifeless girl. They hurried down and tried to save her, but all in vain. They soon just carried her away.

**_You shouldn't have stopped, you're worth nothing!_ **

Jack gasped between sobs as he heard Pitch's voice ring through his mind.

_Pitch never said that…_

_But he_ _**is** _ _right._

Soon Jack had cried all his tears. Police came, the kids said what happened, and they examined the area. Some walked through Jack, making more gasps slip from his lips.

Soon no one was there but Jack. He eventually fell into a restless sleep.


	2. A Friendly Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Jack awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat. He felt a little too hot. He heard someone grunting. He turned around and saw a man making his way down into the ditch. He had blonde hair that was combed back neatly. He wore a thin white workout shirt. His deep blue eyes scanned the area.

Jack turned back and sighed deeply, shuddering. He was glad they took the body. He might have had another fit if he had seen it again.

"Are you okay?"

Jack nearly jumped out of his skin. He jolted around and saw the man looking down at him, concern spreading across his face. Jack's icy blue eyes were wide as he stretched his foot and slowly brought his staff to his side. His eyes glowed momentarily. He turned back and whispered. "…Leave me alone…"

The man reached out and Jack jerked away. The man's blue eyes widened as his finger brushed against Jack's arm. He was freezing!

"Are… Are you okay? You're freezing!" He cautiously stepped closer.

Jack laughed dryly. "I'm supposed to be that way,"

"Then…" The man slowly moved his hand towards Jack and brushed against his forehead. "Is it bad that your forehead is hot?"

"I…" Jack pulled away. "I don't feel hot,"

"But you are,"

"I…"

"If I knew any better," He put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'd say you have a fever. Even though the rest of you is freezing,"

"I… Just… I said to leave me alone." Jack got up, avoiding putting pressure on his bad arm. "I'll be fine, I've been worse,"

"Like what?"

"…Suicidal attempts don't usually end well…"

The man's eyes widened but he soon went back to normal. "My names Steve. Steve Rogers."

Jack snickered. "Steve. How original. I'm Jack,"

"Hey," Steve smiled, finally reaching him. "It wasn't as looked down upon then as it is now."

"Pfft, you don't even know the half of it," Jack swayed slightly after his little joke.

"Hey… What happened?" Steve helped Jack as he steadied himself. "All I heard was a little girl fell into a steep ditch and died."

Tear prickled in Jack's eyes. "I… She… It was m-my fault…" Tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Hey, it's okay, it's not your fault," Steve pulled him into his arms and rocked the winter sprite gently.

"Y-yes, it is." He shook with sobs. "I m-made her s-slip… I couldn't h-help h-her… I sh-shouldn't have even st-stopped…"

"Hey, shh, it's okay, you couldn't do anything, it's not your fault…" Steve rocked him back and forth until he fell asleep in his arms.

That was when he noticed the small spot of blood on the boy's hoodie.

He pulled back Jack's sleeve and gasped at what he saw. There were still splinters from where the stick got stuck in. There was a green spot surrounding the wound, the start of an infection. It looked pretty bad already.

"Oh great…" He picked him up and ran towards his car.


	3. Boy in a Ditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

**AN: This is basically just Steve's PoV of the last chapter.**

* * *

 

Steve Rogers was training earlier that day when he got a call from Fury.

Panting, he reached for the phone.

"Hey Fury, what's up?"

"Rogers, there was a little girl who died by falling into a steep ditch yesterday,"

Steve felt a pang in his chest. _Poor kid._ He thought.

"So why is this important?"

"Well, the scene is in your area. There was already an examination, but people that were there were saying things like they felt a presence there. And, in the place that the kids were playing, it was frozen and half destroyed when they came back."

Steve didn't get it. "And…?"

"I want you to investigate it."

"Okay… But why me?"

"Well, because you're nearby, Romanoff and Barton are on a mission, Stark is too annoying and Banner is in another country."

"Okay. I'll check it out."

* * *

 

Steve pulled up in front of the trail, leading into the forest where the accident happened. He felt immensely sorry for the girl, dying at such a young age.

He walked around until he found the place Fury told him to look for. He was right. A lot of the plants were dying from freezing over and trees were missing branches.

He started down into the ditch carefully and got that feeling that he was being watched. His eyes darted back and forth. He got to the bottom and saw the place the girl had fallen. Some of the leaves and sticks there were bloody and a tag from the police marked the area.

He then heard shifting behind him. He turned around and gasped at what he saw. There was a teen, no older than fifteen, curled up and shaking. He had his hood from his blue hoodie up and he had brown, tattered pants on.

 _How could I have missed him!?_ Steve pondered as he quietly walked towards the teen.

"Are you okay?"

The boy jerked around, his eyes widening as he saw Steve looking at him. His foot extended and pulled a staff-like stick towards him. His icy eyes glowed momentarily and he turned away. Steve could barely catch his words.

"…Leave me alone…"

Steve slowly reached out and brushed his arm. The boy jerked away, but not before he felt him. He was freezing!

"Are… Are you okay? You're freezing!" He cautiously stepped closer.

The cold boy laughed dryly. "I'm supposed to be that way,"

"Then…" Steve slowly moved his hand towards him and brushed against his forehead. "Is it bad that your forehead is hot?"

"I…" He pulled away. "I don't feel hot,"

"But you are,"

"I…"

"If I knew any better," Steve put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'd say you have a fever." He laughed softly. "Although the rest of you is freezing,"

"I… Just… I said to leave me alone." The boy stood. "I'll be fine, I've been worse,"

"Like what?" Steve cautiously stepped closer.

"…Suicidal attempts don't usually end well…"

Steve's eyes widened. _Suicidal!?_ But he soon went back to normal. "My names Steve. Steve Rogers."

The boy snickered. "Steve. How original. I'm Jack,"

"Hey," Steve smiled, finally reaching him. "It wasn't as looked down upon then as it is now."

"Pfft, you don't even know the half of it," Jack swayed slightly after his little joke.

"Hey… What happened?" Steve helped Jack as he steadied himself. "All I heard was a little girl fell into a steep ditch and died."

Tear formed in Jack's eyes. "I… She… It was m-my fault…" Tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Hey, it's okay, it's not your fault," Steve pulled him into his arms and rocked him gently.

_Why would he say it was his fault?_

"Y-yes, it is." Jack shook with sobs. "I m-made her s-slip… I couldn't h-help h-her… I sh-shouldn't have even st-stopped…"

"Hey, shh, it's okay, you couldn't do anything, it's not your fault…" Steve rocked him back and forth until he fell asleep in his arms.

That was when he noticed the small spot of blood on the boy's hoodie.

He pulled back Jack's sleeve and gasped at what he saw. There were still splinters from where the stick got stuck in. There was a green spot surrounding the wound, the start of an infection. It looked pretty bad already.

"Oh great…" He picked him up and ran towards his car.


	4. Tony Stark?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Steve placed the sleeping Jack into the back and put the strap on him. He climbed back into the front and started the car, grabbing his phone.

 _I should bring him to Stark… Gotta call him first._ Steve punched in the phone number.

* * *

 

_Mr. Stark, Steve Rogers is urgently calling you._

JARVIS' robotic voice rang out through the room.

"Urgently?" Tony pondered to himself. "Wonder what that means…"

He picked up the phone and pushed a button. "Hello?"

_"_ _Hey, Tony, I'm coming to your place I'll be there in an hour or so. I've got a boy, about fourteen, and he's hurt. His names Jack and he's got an infection on his arm. And I think he has a fever. But it's hard to tell. I'll explain more when I get there."_

"…That was a lot to take in at once…"

_"_ _There'll be more to take in when I get there. Bye."_

Tony sat there for a minute, assessing what Steve had told him.

"Okay, time to get the infirmary ready."

* * *

 

Steve had been in the car for about an hour. Traffic had made it take longer, but they were almost there.

Jack groaned and shifted, his eyes fluttering open. "Wha… Where am I?!"

"Calm down, Jack, it's just me, Steve."

"Why am I in your car!?"

"Well… Your arm has the beginning of an infection. I'm bringing you to a friend's place to make sure your arm gets better,"

"Random question… Does he believe in Jack Frost?"

"Jack Frost?"

"Yeah, I happen to be… Friends with him."

"Jack Frost exists? Seriously?"

"Well, you believe in him, don't you?" Jack had an urgent look on his face.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure that Tony does,"

"Well, he has to!"

Steve looked at Jack strangely. "…Why is that?"

Jack stumbled on his words. "Well, I… He… I need… Oh, well…"

"Lemme guess," Steve started. "Are _you_ Jack Frost?"

Jack looked shocked. "Umm… Maybe…"

"Well, that explains why you're freezing, and it also confirms that you have a fever."

"Ugh…" Jack slumped in the chair and fell asleep again.

* * *

 

They got there in another thirty minutes.

Steve hopped out of the car and opened Jack's door. He gently shook Jack.

"Jack… Wake up…"

Jack started mumbling incoherent words and snuggled against Steve's chest.

Steve laughed and shook Jack a little harder.

"Wha… Oh, hi Steve," Jack yawned and stretched.

"C'Mon, Jack, we're here."

Jack looked up. "Whoa… You're friends with Tony Stark!?"

"Shh, yes I am let's go,"

Jack laughed and bounced around, avoiding people and advancing to the tower.


	5. Believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Jack got there first but waited for Steve to push the door open. They walked up to the reception desk where a woman with her light brown hair in a high bun was sitting with silver glasses perched atop her crooked nose stared at Steve quizzically.

"What might I be able to help you with?" She said in a snobby voice, eyeing Steve's thin, sweaty shirt.

"Tony Stark is waiting for me,"

She glared at him. "Right." She pushed a button on her intercom and spoke into it. "Mr. Stark, A man is supposedly waiting to see you."

Tony's voice came out of the little box. _"Oh, send him up, quick. I've been waiting for an hour."_

The woman's eyes widened as Jack snickered. She gave them instructions on how to get to where Tony was and sent them on their way, with her "deepest apologies".

Steve and Jack walked out of the elevator, Jack nervously fidgeting with his pocket.

"It's okay, Jack, don't worry." Steve patted Jack's back.

"I—" Jack swallowed nervously. "I know, I'm just nervous that he won't see me." He said quietly.

"It's okay Jack, I—"

"Steve!" Tony burst from around the corner. "What took you so long? And where's the kid?" Tony looked around Steve's shoulder.

Jack looked at Steve apologetically. Steve shook his head.

"Tony, do you believe in Jack Frost?"

"What?"

"Do you believe in Jack Frost?"

"Umm, no, are you stupid?" Tony laughed.

Jack 's eyes flashed with a hurt expression.

"Well, Tony, I have a feeling you're going to laugh at me, but you know how I said the boy's name is Jack?"

"Umm, yeah?"

"Well, he's actually Jack _Frost_ ,"

Tony looked confused. "What?"

"Jack Frost is standing next to me,"

Tony's expression stayed blank for a minute then he burst out laughing. Jack took a deep breath to hold back the tears. A famous man was now laughing at the concept of his existence.

"Tony, I used to laugh at it too, but now—"

"No, no, no, just gimmi a minute, I—" He continued to laugh hysterically.

"Tony, Jack Frost is next to me, he's hurt physically and emotionally and he needs your help."

Tony's expression went blank again. "Wait, so you're… Serious?"

"Yes,"

"So Jack Frost is real and he's next to you?"

"Yes."

Tony's eyes widened. "Holy s***" Tony stepped forward and was now looking at Jack.

"So you're…" He gulped. "Jack Frost?"

Jack smiled, for the first time in two days, and replied, "Yup. That's me!"

"Umm…" Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "This is awkward…"

"How about we show you why we're really here," Steve looked at Jack. "Do you remember hurting your arm?"

"Umm… Yeah, I was just too preoccupied to notice. Now that you mention it, my arm really does hurt." Jack rubbed it absent mindedly.

"Well, let's see it." Tony helped Jack pull his sleeve up, show the greenish, ugly, infected wound.

"Holy s***"


	6. Call in the Big Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Tony scurried around, seeming almost like a mouse. He pushed buttons, opened doors and even made a phone call to Pepper (he was really stressed out). He scanned Jack's arm to try and find out some stuff about the infection, but mostly to no avail.

Tony nervously looked through a book and continuously swore, to no one and nothing in particular. Steve winced at every outburst and eventually got fed up.

"Will you please cut down on the swearing, Tony? We've got a kid in here,"

"Actually, I've heard a whole lot of swearing in my life, so you don't have to worry." Jack smirked at Steve's horrified face and leaned on his staff.

"So basically," Tony started, "You're just asking me to stop because your seventy-year old brain doesn't like it?"

Steve sighed and paced the length of the room. "How long is this gonna take?"

"Well, if these stupid books knew anything," Tony threw the book on the ground and grabbed another. "Then it wouldn't take long, but I don't know how to handle this." He mumbled the last bit and focused on a certain page.

"I think I should get Banner…" Tony mumbled as he pulled out a vial of green liquid and poured it into a pot, quickly covering it up and holding it down, peeking through the glass lid.

"Stark, you sure?" Steve tried to look into the pot but Tony glared at him and shoved him away. Some liquid bubbled out of the pot and he shied away a bit.

"Well, I can't think of anything…" Tony mumbled, watching with slight irritation as some of the table dissolved under the liquid. Jack seemed particularly interested and nearly touched the bubbles, until Tony angrily pulled him away. "Kid, that's dangerous."

Jack stepped away, slightly upset. "Sorry…" He mumbled.

"So anyway," Tony abruptly turned away from the table and the pot bubbled over the lid and started dissolving the table away. Jack watched in awe, ignoring Tony's words. "Banner will know what to do, which I don't, because he's most likely seen this stuff, unlike me." Tony looked at Jack, who was still paying no attention. Tony took advantage of this, nearly whispering. "Now all we have to worry about is the believing part…"

"And," Steve corrected. "The getting him here part."

Tony face palmed. "I was hoping we could ask Fury… But he'll never say yes…"

"Well, you still might as well try," Steve threw a phone at Tony, who caught it expertly. He quickly dialed a number and held it up to his ear. Steve eyed him warily.

"You know how to get directly to Fury?"

Tony smirked. "Well, it helps to be a world famous inventor."

Tony stopped joking and listened intently to the phone. He pushed a few buttons and threw the phone behind him carelessly. He pushed a button on a small device on a computer and Fury's voice came out.

_"—so if you don't—"_

"Sorry," Tony jeered. "Didn't catch any of that." Jack smirked.

Fury growled and gritted his teeth while talking. _"What—do—you—want!?"_

Tony made a face and answered. "Well, we kind of need you to call Banner and get him to come over. Like, now."

There was a momentary silence. _"What for?"_

"We have a secret reason and we'll tell you later." Tony's face contorted. "That sounded strangely like a girl scout…" He frowned and Steve face palmed.

Fury sighed. _"Why do you keep saying 'we'?"_

Tony winced. "Well, Steve's here and—"

_"Rogers? What are you doing there?"_

"Um…" Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "It's has to do with the secret…"

Jack laughed quietly. "Now you sound like a girl scout…"

Fury ignored Jack and continued. _"If you would just tell me why you need to—"_

"Well, I just need you to bring him here ASAP."

_"I can't just do that until you tell me what's going on!"_

"Come on, just this once? I can explain later, just not right this second."

There was silence on the other end. Tony rubbed the back of his neck and smirked at Steve and Jack almost apologetically.

_"Fine."_

"YEEEEEESSSSSSS!" Tony pumped his hand in the air and did a little dance. Fury sighed and hung up just as Tony grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the cabinet and popped it open.

"Um, I'm not sure you should do that…" Steve watched uncomfortably as Tony drank half the bottle in a few seconds. "We have an injured kid and we don't need you to be all drunk when Bruce gets here,"

"Oh, don't worry," Tony grabbed another bottle, much to Steve's displeasure. "It'll take him a while to get here." He took a large gulp. "I think."


	7. Jolly Green Giant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

In a few hours, Tony was so drunk that he thought he was on a carousel with a five year old named Lucy. Steve and Jack dragged him into his room just as JARVIS announced that Bruce was waiting on the first floor.

Steve looked at Jack. "I'll go talk to Bruce on the way up. You write something to tell Tony what happened for when he wakes up," Steve glanced around the room. "Tape it to his face or something…"

Jack smirked eerily as Steve left the room.

* * *

 

Bruce waited patiently in the lobby of the Stark Tower. It was taking Tony a strangely long time but the elevator soon opened and Steve walked out.

Bruce frowned. "Where's Tony?"

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, drunk and passed out in a spare room…"

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Anyway, Fury said you guys needed me and couldn't tell him why?"

Steve grimaced. "Yeah… I'll explain as much as I can in the elevator…"

As they walked in the elevator, Steve started to explain. "So, This morning, Fury told me to check out this scene where a little girl died yesterday."

Bruce frowned as Steve pushed the button and the elevator started to move. "Yeah… I heard about that…"

Steve sighed. "Yeah… Well, I went there and found this boy… He's about fourteen and he was hurt pretty badly so I came over to Tony and he figured it was bad enough to call you in,"

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "So… A kid got hurt and you needed to call me in from a different country?"

Steve shrugged. "Tony's idea. Anyway, about the kid…" The door suddenly opened.

Jack was waiting at the elevator with his hands in his pockets. He looked up hopefully at Steve, who shook his head. Jack sighed and wandered to the couch. Bruce walked out of the elevator and glanced around.

"So," Bruce started. "Where's the kid?"

Steve sighed, glancing at Jack. "Well, um, about the kid—"

Suddenly, Tony burst into the room, arms duct taped to his sides and a popsicle stick stuck to his head was holding a note in front of his face.

"What is the meaning of this!" He growled.

Jack snickered from the couch.

Tony turned to the winter sprite. "You!" He stormed over. "You better fix this! As soon as I get outa this mess, you are so—"

"Hold on," Bruce glanced at the couch. "I'm confused. What kind of a crazy prank is this?"

Steve sighed. "I was getting to that part…"

Tony's expression changed from furious to stunned. "Oh," He looked at Jack, then at Bruce then at Steve. "So… Oh…"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Bruce, the kids not really… Real."

Bruce blinked at him. "I'm really not in the mood for games, Steve,"

Steve bit his lip. "I'm not joking… He's… Jack Frost…"

Bruce frowned. "Right. And I'm Abraham Lincoln,"

Tony jumped up and down. "Ooh! And I'm Tony Stark!"

Steve face palmed. "Why was it so much easier to get Tony to believe?..."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Tony?" He turned to the inventor. "You believe this nonsense too?"

Tony smiled. "Uh yeah. And you're hurting the kid's feelings I think…"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Guys, I'm serious."

Steve looked Bruce in the eye. "So am I."

They had a bit of a staring contest before Bruce rolled his eyes and looked back at the couch. His eyes widened as he saw Jack.

Jack smiled as he saw Bruce's eyes lock onto his. "Yes!" He jumped up and did a little dance.

Bruce chuckled and rolled his eyes. "So… You're Jack Frost?"

Jack laughed and walked over. "And you're the Jolly Green Giant?"

Bruce smiled and rolled his eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, Jack,"

Bruce stuck out his right hand and Jack awkwardly shook hands with the man with a pained expression on his face.

Bruce frowned. "Are you alright?"

Jack shrugged. "Kindda the reason they called you…" He pulled his sleeve up.

Bruce's eyes widened and he gently held Jack's arm. "How long ago did this happen?"

Jack shrugged. "uh yesterday, I think…"

Bruce bit his lip. "Well, this isn't good. I've never seen anything like this…"

Jack sighed, growing tired. "Steve says I have a fever too…"

Bruce nodded. "Well, you should get some rest."

Tony jumped up and down. "And you should untie me too! Well," He looked down at himself. "Un-tape me…"

Jack giggled and sighed with exhaustion. He stumbled a bit and fell into Bruce's arms. He yawned. "I'm tired…"

Bruce chuckled. "Let's get you to bed…"


	8. Frozen Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Jack yawned as his consciousness returned. He squinted and rubbed his eyes.

 _Weird…_ He thought. _The room was brighter earlier…_

He glanced around then jumped when he saw the Guardians and his new friends in the doorway. They all wore stern expressions.

"H-hey guys…" He started tentatively, climbing out of the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't play all innocent, Jack," Tony spat out. "Your friends told us what happened."

"We're not his friends anymore," Bunny threw in angrily.

"I-I tried to help…" Jack shrank back as they advanced on him. "I didn't mean to—"

"You killed innocent child!" North bellowed, slamming his foot down. Jack flinched.

"She had a life ahead of her!" Tooth shrieked. "She had memories! A family!"

"I-I didn't mean to!" Jack defended, terrified. "I tried to help her! I'm sorry!"

"You were right," Steve added. "It was all your fault."

Jack barely managed to stifle a sob with his hand. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "I'm sorry!" He cried out. "I wasn't trying to hurt her! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He kept saying sorry while his ex-friends surrounded him. "Jack, Jack, Jack," They chanted tauntingly. They repeated his name as he sobbed on the floor.

* * *

 

"Jack!"

Jack awoke with a scream, jumping up and conking heads with Tony, who was shaking him awake.

"Ow!" Tony yelped. "You okay, kid? You were having a nightmare,"

 _Nightmare…_ Jack thought as his breathing calmed. _Pitch?..._

Tony waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Jack? It's okay. It was just a nightmare."

Jack nodded tentatively, climbing out of the bed and hugging himself tightly.

Tony frowned. "Must have been some dream… You care for some breakfast, kid?"

Jack blinked. "Uh, I don't eat."

Tony turned to stare at Jack's wiry frame. "Pardon? You're already skinny as a twig."

Jack shook his head. "I can't, Well, I'm not sure what would happen if I did. I don't need to,"

Tony squinted. "I'm confused."

Jack sighed. "I'm dead. I don't need to eat." He deadpanned.

Tony blinked. "Oh."

* * *

 

When Jack got to the kitchen, the scene repeated itself.

Jack sighed and face palmed as Bruce finally seemed to get the concept.

"So… You're dead?" Steve asked from on the couch for the fifth time.

"Yes!" Jack said, fuming with exasperation. "I fell through the ice and my insides froze and I died!" Recalling his death made him a little wistful, but he shrugged the felling off.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Bruce spoke.

"How's your arm, Jack?"

Jack looked over. "Huh?" He glanced down at his arm. "Uh, fine, I guess."

Bruce nodded. "I want to x-ray it later today. Tony, you got a x-ray machine?"

Tony nodded, as his mouth was currently full of waffles and syrup.

"Good, let's get it done after—"

Bruce was interrupted by the phone ringing. Tony rolled his eyes and swallowed the food. "Jack, what's the caller ID?"

Jack furrowed his brow. "Huh?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Never mind, just throw it at me."

Jack frowned and grabbed the loud device beside him. He glanced at the screen. "It says 'Fury's Furry." What kind of a name is that?" He tossed the phone at Tony, who smirked as he caught it.

"I hacked his phone," He answered gleefully. "He doesn't know yet." His face darkened. "Unless that's what this is about…"

He pushed the talk button and put it on speaker phone. "Hello, you have reached—"

"I don't have time for games, Stark," Fury's angry voice resonated from the phone. "I've let you have your little sleepover, now tell me what's going on," Fury said firmly.

Tony blinked. "Yeesh, Mom…"

"Now."

Tony began to sweat.

"Tony!" Jack said, getting an idea. "Just say we had a party! Say sorry!"

"Uh…" Jack face palmed. Tony gulped. "We had a party!" He winced at how unsure he sounded. "We're sorry!" Bruce snorted.

"Right," Fury growled. "Mind telling me what that extra heat signature is? Or should I say, _cold_ signature?"

Jack's eyes widened. "He can see me?" He squeaked.

"Wait a minute!" Tony gasped in fake offense. "You're spying on us!?"

Fury sighed. "And you hacked my phone. We're even." Bruce rolled his eyes. "I'm sending Romanoff and Barton over. And I don't think they're going to want to 'party'."

Then he hung up. Everyone stood awkwardly.

Jack took a deep breath. "So… He could see me?" He asked quietly.

Tony glanced at Jack. "Um, well, he has a camera that senses heat and cold. It's to see thieves and stuff it's also inconspicuous," Jack nodded. "And, since you're cold, he could see you… Technically…"

"Okay…" Jack fingered the hem of his hoodie. "So, who's he sending over?"

Bruce ran a hand over his face. "Some of his agents, Natasha and Clint."

Jack sighed. "And they're probably not gonna believe in me…"

Tony nodded. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"…So, who's up for a party?"

Everyone glared at Tony.

"What?!" He defended. "We might as well!"

Jack shrugged. "It's gonna be pretty boring anyways…"

"That's the spirit, Jack! JARVIS, some music!"

He grabbed Jack's hand and yanked him off the couch just as loud, hip hop music filled the room.

"Let's get this party started!"


	9. Death of Belief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

The party was going great, until the assassin arrived.

Steve was hiding behind a pillow on the couch and Bruce was finishing his coffee while Tony and Jack were – terribly – singing along to Taylor Swift. Suddenly, JARVIS stopped the song.

"Sir, agents Barton and Romanoff are in the elevator. Shall I stop the party?"

Tony groaned dramatically. "No! Turn the music back on!"

The music began blasting again and Tony and Jack began singing and dancing in circles again. The elevator opened and Clint and Natasha walked in. Clint instantly facepalmed at the sight of Tony dancing to Shake It Off.

"JARVIS, turn off the music," Natasha snapped. The music died down and Jack and Tony pouted. Natasha walked over to Tony, grabbing his arm. "What's going on?"

Tony gulped and Jack shied away, sitting on the couch next to Steve.

Clint sat down next to Bruce, starting the coffee machine. "Honestly, this is literally your worst party ever,"

Jack giggled but Natasha glared at Tony. "Now!" she glanced around the room. "And what the heck was that cold thing on the camera?" she scanned the room. "I don't see any ice sculptures. What are you pulling, Stark?" She stepped over to the counter and pulled out a small device that looked like a gps. She waved it in the air, smirking. "I've got the video feed."

Jack paled – if that was even possible – and Tony glared around the room. "Where is it and when was it installed?!" He demanded.

Natasha pushed some buttons, not bothering to look up. "During the repairs for the damage from the battle,"

Tony glared at her. "You didn't answer the first question…" he grumbled.

Natasha frowned, looking at the couch then at the device. She kept it up for a minute before growling in frustration, glaring at Clint.

"There's nothing there,"

Clint stood and walked over, staring at the screen. He glanced at the couch and then at Tony. "In the words of Natasha Romanoff, what are you pulling, Stark?"

Natasha whapped him upside the head with her free hand.

Jack paled even more – yeah, not really possible, but it still happened – and Tony chuckled nervously.

"Uh… Well… We were just…"

"Spit it out!" Natasha shouted angrily. She stomped to the couch, where Jack scrambled out of the way just before she thrust her hand into the empty space. "See? Nothing there!" Tony barely held back a laugh as Jack hopped away, perching on the bookcase.

Natasha glared at the device. "What!? It moved again!" Tony couldn't help but laugh as Natasha angrily swiped at the mantel, where Jack was cowering just out of reach. She turned and glared at Tony. "What. Is. Going. ON!?"

Tony gulped and glanced at Bruce, who shrugged. "Might as well tell her what you told me."

"And what I told you," Steve put in, speaking for the first time since the party started.

Natasha frowned, glancing at the other men. "Tell me what?"

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Uh… Well, the cold thingy thing is actually this technically invisible kid who's injured and sick and we're trying to help him, but technically you can't see him but in order to see him you have to believe that-"

"What?!" Natasha stopped Tony in the middle of his rant. "What does that even mean!? N-none of that even made a lick of sense!"

Tony smirked sheepishly. "Well, maybe if I say it slower-"

"Tony?" Bruce stopped him. "Allow me," Tony grumbled something under his breath. Bruce chuckled and turned to Natasha. "Well, the simplest way to put it is that Jack Frost is real," Natasha blinked but said nothing. "The blob of cold is Jack. He's hurt and sick and we're helping him."

Natasha was silent for a moment then burst out laughing. Jack fought back tears. For the third time today, someone was scoffing at the idea of his very existence. As Natasha snorted and held her stomach to regain her composure, Jack's tear filled eyes became dark and he screamed in agony, unintentionally sending a bolt of frosty ice in Natasha's direction.

Natasha gasped as the icy spike flew just in front of her face and impaled the wall behind her.

"…What the heck was that?..." She said quietly, mostly to herself.

Steve stood and went to the mantel, quietly trying to coax Jack back down. He had curled up tighter and wouldn't come down.

Clint, who had been silent while getting his coffee, finally spoke. "This is a pretty elaborate prank, Tony. Then again, I wouldn't put it past you." He winked at the inventor.

Bruce sighed. "Natasha, I think you offended him," He glanced at the teenager. "Not many people have believed in him for however long he's been alive-"

"Three hundred and sixteen," Jack mumbled softly.

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Okay, three hundred and-"

"Sixteen. Yeah, I heard," Natasha mumbled, walking to Jack. "Sorry about… Laughing and… Oh, whatever… I'm terrible at apologies…"

Jack giggled and uncurled a little, sticking out his hand. "Apology accepted," They shook hands. "Even if it was terrible," Natasha laughed.

"Okay, this one's pretty good," Clint said, chuckling. "I mean, ice flying out of the walls, screwing with the camera, even Nat's in on this one. I mean, I'm impressed."

Jack sighed. "Here we go again…"

Clint stood, walking to Steve. "I mean, your acting's great," He swiped his hand above the mantel, barely missing Jack. "I mean, it almost makes me think there's a teenage brat sitting there."

Jack glared at him and everyone felt the temperature in the room go way down. They all turned to Jack, whose hands were clenched into fists and he was obviously trying not to freak out like he had earlier.

Clint laughed as snow began to fall in the room. "I'm very impressed, Tony. What'd you have to do to get it to snow in here? Tear apart the celling?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Clint, I know it's kinda weird, but we're not joking. You trust me, right?"

Clint stared for a long moment before bursting with laughter.

Jack stood for a moment before making a snowball in his hand. He threw it and it hit Clint right in his face.

Clint froze. He blinked and wiped the snow off his face. "…Snowballs… Nice touch…"

Natasha sighed. "Clint, do you really think I would prank you like this? With _Tony_?"

Clint chuckled. "Yeah, I was thinking that. It's really unlike you," He turned to Tony. "What on earth did you do to get her in on this?"

Jack frowned. "That usually works…" Steve glanced at Jack with a confused expression. "The snowball. Part of my powers are supposed to make people joyful and, you know, want to have fun and stuff."

Natasha frowned. "Clint, just-"

"Tasha. I figured you out already. Just give it up." Clint interrupted, turning and walking to the counter.

Jack glared at Clint's back and the snow in the room began to fall faster.

Clint snickered. "Okay, guys, this prank is great, but I'm done, okay? You're kinda pushing it and it's not funny anymore."

Jack growled in frustration and flew right in front of Clint, pelting him with snowballs. Clint gasped and put his hands up in defense. He turned back to Tony. "Really, dude?"

Tony shrugged innocently. Clint rolled his eyes and walked forward, smiling when the snowballs stopped.

Everyone froze when Clint walked through Jack. Tony had been wondering what would happen if someone walked into Jack, but didn't ask in case it was a touchy subject. Apparently, it was.

Jack gasped, clutching at his chest. He felt the weight of everything that had happened in the past three days crash upon him and tears welled up in his eyes. Before anyone could react, Jack froze the nearest window and crashed through it, flying off to who knows where.


	10. New Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Jack was exhausted and delirious as he flew from the tower into the city. After his initial panic, he had instantly grown tired and lost his strength to fly. So, the wind set him down gently in Central Park, where he wandered tiredly. His vision was blurry, so he couldn't see when someone was in front of him until they walked through him and the horrible emptiness filled his stomach again.

Jack stumbled to a small tree and curled up beneath it, falling quickly into a deep, empty sleep.

* * *

 

A cold wind howled through the broken window. Tony was on the phone, calling various repair crews and attempting to pick up any remains of Jack's ice and snow while Steve tried to help. Clint calmly finished his coffee while Natasha glared at him from across the table and Bruce, feeling the tension in the room, excused himself to the lab.

Steve winced as Tony fell to the ground again, pushed over by the angry wind. "It wasn't this windy when I took my jog this morning."

"It's not windy at all," Natasha pointed out. "Look."

Everyone peeked down at the city and saw that all was peaceful in the world underneath them.

Tony grunted and pushed himself up. "Then why is it mad at me?"

Steve frowned. "Jack can fly right?"

Clint snorted and rolled his eyes and Natasha glared at him harder. "Yes."

"Well, maybe he doesn't fly," Steve offered. "Maybe the wind carries him."

Tony snorted. "You're trying to say the wind is sentient?"

Steve sighed. "I don't know. But maybe Jack and the wind are friends. Maybe it's trying to tell us he's hurt."

The wind howled and pushed Steve.

Natasha raised her eyebrows as Steve regained his balance. "Maybe you're on to something, Cap."

Tony frowned. "Then how are we gonna find him?"

Natasha stood. "Well, we could split up and search the city."

Clint sighed and stood. "Well, I can't do you any good, so I'm gonna chill out here." he turned to walk to his room.

Natasha grabbed his arm and turned him around. "You're coming with me, Katniss." Clint growled and stood beside her. Steve nodded. "I'll take the far side of the park, Tony, you take the closer side. Natasha, Clint, you guys look down town. If we go an hour without finding him, meet back here. If you find him, bring him back."

Everyone nodded and piled in the elevator. On the way down, Tony turned to Steve. "What about Bruce?"

Steve shrugged. "We'll tell him after we find Jack." Tony nodded.

* * *

 

**Drumroll please!**

**Enter in: The Guardians! Yay! *cheering***

**Well, just one of them…**

* * *

 

Bunny hopped out of a hole and was instantly worried. It wasn't cold. It was January and it hadn't snowed in Burgess for nearly a week. And, it wasn't just Burgess. There hadn't been a proper snow day in the world since Monday. Bunny ran down the street a bit and spotted Jamie and his friends. He ran over.

Jamie was the first to see him. "Oh, hey Bunny!"

Bunny smiled. "Hey, kids, have you seen Jack around?"

Jamie frowned. "No, not since… Friday."

Bunny grimaced. "You haven't seen him in a week?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah…" his face lit up. "Oh, Bunny, did you hear about that little girl?"

Bunny frowned. "What girl?"

"The little girl that died on Monday." Cupcake said grimly. "Jamie's been obsessed with it."

Jamie sighed. "Mom practically grounded me and Sophie because of it," he complained.

Bunny tilted his head. "What?"

Jamie sighed. "In New York, a bunch of kids were playing around in a forest. I think Jack might have been there because they were having a snow ball fight," Bunny nodded. "Well, one of the girls slipped and fell into a ditch and died. Her friends ran to get help and when they got back, the place was destroyed." Bunny's eyes widened. "When Mom heard, she banned me and Sophie from going into the forest until Easter."

Bunny raised his eyebrows. "Eh. Sounds lovely." He glanced around. "I gotta go."

Jamie frowned. "But you just got here!" he complained.

Bunny rolled his eyes. "Shut up, ya whiner." he turned. "G'day mate." and with that, he hopped through his hole and disappeared.

* * *

 

"Has it been an hour yet?" Clint asked again, for the fourth time.

"NO!" Natasha whacked him again, for the fourth time and angrily stomped further down the street.

Clint sighed and ran to catch up. "So how long has it—OW!" Clint rubbed his aching head.

"Will you just shut up!?" Natasha growled.

Clint rolled his eyes. "Why did I even come? I'm not even helping and I can't!"

Natasha sighed and turned to her partner, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Clint, what's up?"

Clint frowned. "Wadaya mean?"

"Why do you refuse to believe?"

Clint sighed dramatically and pulled away. "Cuz Jack Frost is just a stupid myth." he walked forward.

Natasha grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Clint. It's more than that, isn't it?" she looked into his eyes.

Clint looked down. "It's nothing. Jack Frost is stupid. Just like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and Santa and the Sandman," he said with remorse. "They're all just stupid lies and none of them are true." he spat out.

Natasha's eyes widened. "Whoa. Where'd that come from?" Clint looked at the sidewalk, silent. Natasha sighed. "Clint, come on."

Clint took a deep breath. "Wh-when Barney and I were kids…" he sighed. "Mom toled us about Santa and the Easter Bunny and stuff. Of course we believed it and Barney even said he caught the Tooth Fairy once," Natasha chuckled. "But… Our parents died. And… the people at the children's home… They abused us. I… I guess that's when I lost all my hopes and dreams that those legends were real…"

Natasha's face softened. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Well… What do you need for that to come back?"

Clint frowned. "What?"

Natasha laughed. "What do you need to believe again?"

Clint looked down. "I… I dunno…"

Natasha laughed. "Come on, Clint. You know I'd never help Tony with a prank. You know Tony would stop once you figured out. And honestly, I think Tony's just a bit too lazy to make it snow in his kitchen or make ice spikes fly from the walls."

Clint laughed. "So, you're sure Jack Frost is real?"

Natasha sighed and laughed, "Of course! You trust me, right"

Clint smiled. "Okay, okay," he looked up. "Has it been an hour yet?"


	11. April Fools! - Tony Tells a Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

**FILLER CHAPTER; SET DURING THE PARTY. I might have a few of these...**

* * *

* * *

"Once upon many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many—"

"We get it, Tony,"

"—I don't think you do, Jack—many many many many many many many many many years ago, there was a boy named Cheese—"

"Why was his name Cheese?"

"—Shut up, Jack, I'm talking—and he was bored one day, so he skipped school—"

"Wait, how old is Cheese?"

"—Erm, twelve, no thirteen, um, your age, Jack—but his mom found out and grounded him for thirty years—!"

"Wait, how can a mom ground someone for thirty years?!"

"—Because she's a mom, Jack—but he escaped with a fiery rocket blast and accidentally threw himself into the future—!"

"Where'd he get the rocket?"

"—Shut up, Jack, you're ruining the moment!—and he met himself after being grounded for thirty years!"

…

"What happened?"

"Pfft, they went to the mall, found these cute girls, took them home and then—!"

"TONY!"

"…I was gonna say watched a movie over pizza…"


	12. Threatning Pirates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

Nick Fury wasn't exactly pleased. In fact, he was positivity ticked off. First, he sent Rogers to check out the scene of a dead girl. Should've taken him a few hours at the most. Then Stark called to ask him to send Banner over. Wait, what? Then he found out that Rogers was with Stark and they couldn't say what they were doing. He sent Banner and gave them a night to do… Whatever the heck it was that they were doing. When he saw the cold signature on the camera feed, he knew something was up, so he sent Romanoff and Barton. About two hours later, he got a call from the assassins saying that everything was okay and Tony was just pulling another ridiculous, idiotic prank. When he told them to come back, they said that they couldn't come and they couldn't tell him why.

Aaaand, now he was getting a threat from a deranged terrorist;

_Keep close eye on the children you protect_

_Their hope and dreams they will soon forget_

_Just wait til dawn after two weeks pass_

_Those happy memories will be their last_

_I'll not pretend that you're helpless_

_But I won't ignore the help you miss_

_Your strongest member is now lost_

_And you never would've beaten me without your Frost_

_So wait, prepare, but you still won't succeed_

_It's time for revenge; to fulfill my greed_

It was certainly strange… But Fury had to give him props for the rhyming. I mean, rhyming with succeed? That must've taken a while.

But he didn't get it. Why would a terrorist threaten the children only? And what was "Frost"? And who was the terrorist? Who had he defeated before? Was this threat meant for someone else?

No matter. Someone was threatening the world – the _children_ of the world – and it was his job to stop them.

* * *

* * *

Pitch face palmed. Again. He had worked for hours on end, strained his mind for rhymes, and even looked on _google_ to make his threat perfect. Then the worthless nightmare drops it above the SHIELD headquarters instead of at the Pole.

Let's just say, that nightmare is having nightmares as we speak.

After his initial furious response, Pitch realized that the result would be the same. He would just have to change his target.

* * *

* * *

It had been an hour after Steve found Jack. He put him in the guest room and since then, everyone else had been arguing about what to do.

"You know Fury won't believe us," Bruce pointed out.

"But what are we supposed to tell him?" Natasha asked loudly. "He already knows something's up and he wants us to go back—" she was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. "This is probably him right now." She grabbed her phone and walked to the hallway.

Steve sighed. "What are we going to do about Jack anyways? Like, his arm?"

Bruce shrugged. "He has a tiny fever and his arm is clearly infected, but he's not showing any severe symptoms," he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do unless I know what's wrong."

Tony sighed. "Are we just gonna keep the kid here? We don't even know anything about him!"

Clint shrugged. "We'll just ask him when he wakes up."

Tony nodded. "Good idea, but what will Frosty the Snowman think? He might not talk." he pointed out.

Steve opened his mouth to talk but he was interrupted by Natasha walking in. "Fury called. He got a threat from a stupid terrorist. Not a very good one. Well, the threat was a poem." Tony and Clint snickered and Natasha sighed. "He wants me to come in," she turned to Clint. "He said you didn't have to come if you didn't want to. Your choice."

Clint shrugged. "I'll stay. Kinda wanna apologize…"

Natasha nodded. "Kay. See you guys later." she walked to the elevator and was soon gone.

The others were about to start speaking when JARVIS broke the silence.

"Sir, Jack is awake," Tony smiled. "But it appears that his fever is getting worse."

* * *

* * *

Jack awoke in the same guest room he had been in earlier. He was confused for a moment; hadn't he fallen asleep under a tree? Then his eyes snapped open and he remembered the past three days.

" _Oh… They probably found me…_ " he thought. " _I hope they convinced Clint… Or… I dunno…_ "

He sat up and pain flooded his head and he fell back, landing on his arm, which burned with pain. He cried out in pain. Suddenly, the room felt unbearably hot and he felt like he was suffocating. He climbed out of from under the covers and tumbled to the floor, crying out at the sudden onslaught of pain. Why was the room so hot…? He swallowed his pain and began to crawl desperately to the window.

The door burst open and Tony ran in, followed by Steve and Clint. Tony gasped and knelt beside Jack, who had collapsed with exhaustion.

"Jack? Jack!" Tony put a hand on Jack's forehead. He gasped. "Oh my god…" he turned to Steve. "It's getting way worse."

Steve frowned and knelt down, scooping Jack into his arms and taking him out of the room.

Clint bit his lip. "What are we gonna do?"

Tony frowned then shrugged. "We find out who his friends are and ask them what's going on."

Clint made a face. "Wait, what? How do you know he has friends?"

Tony shrugged. "Who's an angsty, invisible teenager without a handful of other angsty, invisible teenage friends?"


	13. Sweet Charades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is terrified. He killed a child. Afraid, he hides from the Guardians. Then, Steve Rogers shows up, takes him to Stark Tower because he's sick, Hulk and an assassin join them, Tony throws a party, the Guardians arrive, Pitch is back and getting stronger, Jack's arm might have to be amputated, Fury tries to kill Jack, Loki and Thor say hi and Jack's life is crazy.

"Well, this is great…" Bruce commented sarcastically, wiping the sweat off Jack's forehead.

Tony frowned. "That was sarcastic, right?" Clint face palmed.

"This is getting really bad," Bruce pointed out humorlessly. "Every fever medicine I try to give him is rejected by his immune system."

Steve winced. "Then how is he supposed to get better?"

Bruce frowned. "Well, if we know who he's friends with, we might be able to find out,"

Steve frowned. "Wait, are we even sure he has friends? I'm pretty sure he said no one can see him."

Tony sighed. "Like I already said, who's an—"

"He didn't say that," Bruce pointed out. "And I'm pretty sure his social skills would be worse if he had been alone for three hundred and sixteen years."

Tony nodded. "But how do we find out who can see him? Send out an unofficial SHIELD announcement to tell us if they've met Jack Frost?" Clint snickered.

"We ask Jack,"

* * *

* * *

"Hey Tooth?" Bunny called out, trying to see if the fairy was anywhere nearby. "You there?"

"What is it?" Bunny jumped as Tooth showed up from behind him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, Tooth!"

Tooth smiled bashfully. "Whoops… Well, what is it?"

Bunny sighed. "Jack's been missing for about a week. It hasn't been snowing where it should be and there haven't been any promised snow days since the incident on Monday."

Tooth frowned. Then she gasped. "Are you saying… That Jack might've been involved in that?"

Bunny bit his lip. "I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions, but it's possible. It is when he disappeared."

Tooth nodded sadly. "He wouldn't have meant to, right?"

Bunny scoffed, shaking his head. "No, I never meant that. But… You never know what he might be thinking. We _did_ jump to conclusions last time he made a simple mistake. He might be hiding from us."

Tooth sighed in agreement. "I'll tell my fairies to keep an eye out."

Bunny nodded and made a hole in the ground. "I'll go look in the colder regions and anywhere that's been snowing."

"Check the spot where the… the incident happened," Tooth choked out.

Bunny nodded grimly. "Okay. See ya later,"

* * *

* * *

"Jaaaackie. Jaaaaaaack. Jaaaaa _aaack_." Clint prodded Jack's side with a pen. Jack flinched a bit, but otherwise stayed asleep.

Bruce sighed. "Clint, I don't think that's going to work. Go get some coffee or something. It could be a while."

Clint sighed. "So we're just going to wait? That's boring!" he complained.

Tony shoed Clint out of the room. "Coffee,"

Clint nodded. "Anybody else want—" Tony slammed the door. " _Come on!_ "

"Coffee!"

Steve rolled his eyes and turned back to Jack. "Honestly, this is taking a while. Is there anything else we can do?"

Bruce shrugged. "Play charades?"

Steve face palmed but Tony jumped up. "Ooh! Me first!"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Go ahead," he gestured to the empty space in the guest room.

Tony frowned. Then his face lit up. "Ooh! I know!" he jumped up and landed on the ground, doing a somersault. He yelped as he ran into a shelf and a few heavy books rained on him.

Bruce chuckled. "This is entertaining…"

Steve shrugged. "You never know, all this noise might wake Jack up."

Tony stood, coughing and brushing himself off. He stood at the corner of the room. "Charades are supposed to be silent, unless you have a guess!" he took an extra step and made a pathetic attempt at a cartwheel, running into the same shelf, being pummeled by a few more books. "Ow!" he stood shakily. "Now you have to guess!"

Steve snickered. "Um, ballerina?"

Tony gaped. "Ballerinas don't do cartwheels! They do this!" he made monkey arms and twirled in a circle.

Bruce bit his tongue. "I don't know how many dancers you're offending right now, but—" he was interrupted by a groan from Jack.

Everyone turned anxiously. Jack swatted at the air, mumbling about a unicorn. Bruce put his hand on Jack's forehead. "Jack? Are you awake?"

Jack frowned. "N-no…"

Tony snickered but Bruce shushed him. "Jack, can you answer some questions?"

Jack swayed to the side. "Sure… Mommy…" he snuggled Bruce's arm. "I like cake…"

Tony laughed and Steve whacked him.

Bruce sighed. "Jack, do you have any friends?"

Jack's brow furrowed for a moment. "…Steve…" he decided.

Steve was taken aback and Tony snickered, pushing Steve's shoulder. "Steve, someone actually likes you! What an accomplishment!" Steve smacked him. "Ow!"

Bruce sighed. "No, other friends. Friends who you've known for a while. Not a week."

Jack took a deep breath. "Uh… Tooth's pretty…"

Bruce made a face. "Tooth?"

Tony chuckled. "Jack's got a crush on a piece of cartilage!" he giggled stupidly until Steve whacked him again.

Jack sighed. "Pretty fairy… And Bunny… Hop hop!" Jack sat up abruptly then fell back. "He doesn't like me… But we're friends!" he declared. Suddenly, he began to snore again.

Bruce frowned. "Tooth? Fairy? …The Tooth Fairy?" he suggested.

Steve nodded. "Makes sense…"

Tony snickered. "Jack's got a crush on the Tooth Fairy…"

Clint burst through the door. "Wait, what? Did he wake up?" Tony nodded. "Oh come on! I miss everything!" he stomped in, shoving a coffee in Bruce's face. "I don't want it anymore…" he pouted.

Bruce rolled his eyes and sipped some. He spit it out. "How much sugar is in here?!"

Clint shrugged. "I was bored."

Bruce handed the coffee to Tony, who eyed it warily. "Anyways, he didn't really wake up. He just mumbled some stuff about a fairy and a bunny."

Clint frowned. Then his eyes lit up. "The Easter Bunny?"

Bruce frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by Tony. "Dude, no one needs this much sugar in coffee! Even _I_ don't use that much!"

Clint shrugged. "I said I was bored…"

Bruce sighed. "Anyway, Clint, you might be right. I'm pretty sure he was taking about the Tooth Fairy, so we should try to find a way to contact them."

Tony burst out laughing. "How are we gonna do that!?"

Clint shrugged. "Well, let's get the Tooth Fairy," he swung a fist at Tony's face.

"OO-OW!" Tony yelped, rubbing his jaw. "What was that for?!"

Clint snickered. "To get the Tooth Fairy…"

Tony growled. "It didn't even work… It just hurt…"

Clint snickered. Then he gasped. "Oh!" he turned to the others. "I know! I have a cousin and her son just lost his first tooth!"

Bruce frowned. "Wouldn't we be too late? And how'd you find out?"

"Two hours ago on twitter," Clint smirked, holding up his phone. He turned back to it and began scrolling through. "All of her posts are about her kid…" he imitated a girly voice. "'Oh, being a mommy is so wonderful!'… 'Oh, how the days go by!'… 'Oh, my baby's first tooth is out!'"

Tony snickered. "Nice voice, Katniss."

Clint rolled his eyes. "So all we have to do is go to her house and catch the Tooth Fairy!"

Bruce frowned. "But won't his mom be weirded out?"

Clint shrugged. "She knows I work for the government. I'll just tell her it's a top secret mission and she'll let us do anything," he glanced at the clock. "We might wanna go soon though, she lives in California and we'd need to get there before dark,"

* * *

* * *

Natasha knocked gently on the meeting door.

"Come in,"

She pushed the door open and stepped in. "You wanted to speak with me?"

Fury turned. "Here," he handed the paper to Natasha. She quickly read over the threat.

She made a face. "This is what we're getting worked up over?" she handed it back.

Fury took the note and put it on a desk. "Just because it sounds stupid doesn't mean it's not a threat. It's my job to get worked up over it," Natasha nodded. "Now. I want to know what's going on with Stark."

Natasha bit her lip. "Well, I think it's all under control, but I still wanted to observe it. That's why I left Barton there. But I don't think it's important."

Fury nodded. "But what is it?"

Natasha sighed. "It's supernatural and you wouldn't believe me if I said it."

Fury rolled his eye. "Romanoff, I've met two gods, one of which was a psychopath, I've fought against aliens and I've met the Hulk. There's not much I won't give thought to."

Natasha was silent for a moment before nodding. "Alright. The cold signature was Jack Frost."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "How did Jack Frost end up in Stark Tower?"

"Rogers found him when you sent him to Brooklyn and he was injured. He took him to Stark to try and fix him up. They couldn't figure out how and they asked for Banner. You sent Barton and I and we analyzed the situation," she sighed. "Is that all you need to know?"

Fury shrugged. "Is that all there is?"

Natasha frowned. "Wha – I don't think so," she answered.

Fury nodded. "Do you think that maybe this 'Jack Frost' issue might have to do with the threat?"

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "I didn't think of that. Why?"

"Someone who controls winter would probably have enemies. The threat seems like it was made for someone else. It also says ' _your Frost_ ' with the frost capitalized. Maybe Jack Frost has friends."

Natasha nodded slowly. "That… That makes sense…"

Fury nodded. "I'd like to meet this 'Jack Frost'," he walked to the door. "Care to introduce me?"

Natasha frowned. "A-alright…"


End file.
